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April 2006

SWAP Competition 2006

SWAP is pleased to announce details of their annual competition for 2006 which offers schools the chance to win a cash prize of up to £500!

For this year's competition we would like schools to show how they have made a difference in getting the message home to parents and to the wider community. The themes for this year's competition are:

  • Reducing, reusing and recycling waste
  • Reducing energy use

We would like to see how your school has passed its enthusiasm back to the local community and helped them to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste and reduce their energy use. Here are some ideas to get you thinking but feel free to approach the project in your own way. You could:

  • hold an assembly for parents to encourage them to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste or reduce their energy use
  • send parents home a pledge form to commit to reducing and recycling their waste or reducing their energy use
  • set up an awareness raising display in school or in the community, using posters and props
  • write to your local MP and suggest some ways they could take action
  • you could keep a photo diary to show how you the project has progressed

To enter we would like a short article (no more than 300 words) explaining the project your school has run, together with pictures and photos to illustrate the work you have done.

You can send the entries in on cd rom or paper to SWAP Competition, Carymoor Environmental Trust, Dimmer Lane, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7NR or by e-mail to rf.swap@carymoor.org.uk If you would like assistance for your project then feel free to give us a call on (01963) 351350.

We could help you arrange assemblies, displays and help with ideas. The closing date is Friday 9th June. 12 winning schools will be chosen from the entries and will be invited to attend our Celebration Event on Monday 10th July in Taunton, where we will ask the winning schools to put up exhibitions of their projects. The winning entries will also be put together into our academic calendar for 2006/07. There is a cash prize for the top three schools: 1st prize - £500, 2nd prize - £200, 3rd prize - £100

We want to see how you've made a difference in your local community!

November 2005

Somerset has just collected the award for the best Local Authority Initiative at the National Recycling Awards. Click here for the full story.

SWAP has continued to make good progress this term with schools in Somerset with over 92% of schools now having had a visit. In addition over 400 community groups of all ages have had a visit from the team. Somerset has raised its recycling target to 32% so the message is getting through! Drop us a line if you would like to book a visit for your school or community group by phoning (01963) 351350 or by e-mail.

August 2005

Celebration Event 2005

Congratulations to Trull Primary who won first prize at this year's Celebration Event. The school won £500 to spend on environmental improvements. Second prize went to Catcott Primary and third prize went to Wedmore First School.

The winning artist from Trull came up with Robbie the Recycling Box which has been professionally worked up and will be used in future publicity material. Our sincere thanks to all twelve schools who took part in the event on the day and who gave some fantastic presentations.

The winning designs are being put into a new academic calendar that will be sent out to schools at the beginning of next term, together with a new school pack of workshops.

June 2005

Celebration Event 2005

The SWAP Celebration Event takes place on Friday 8th July at Lyngford House Conference Centre, Taunton. The lucky winning schools are being informed at the moment!

May 2005

Win £500 for your school!

SWAP is pleased to announce the details of its third annual competition. The competition is a chance for your school to win a cash prize and to feature in the annual SWAP calendar as well! To enter all your school has to do is to come up with a poster (max size A3) for one of the following:

  • Design a sidekick for Wilbur Waste (pictured above) – it could be a compost bin, a kerbside box, a can or anything else you can think of!
  • A poster to show what can and can’t be composted
  • A poster to show what you can put in your kerbside box
  • An awareness raising poster to remind people to reduce, reuse and recycle

We will choose 12 posters which will be put together in a new academic calendar. In addition we will select a design to become Wilbur’s new sidekick which will be used in publicity material across Somerset! There is a top prize of £500, a second prize of £200 and a third prize of £100. You can see how last year’s winners Cheddon Fitzpaine Primary used their prize money overleaf. Our thanks to Wyvern Waste for sponsoring the competition.

The closing date for the competition is Friday 10th June. You can either send your design to us at SWAP, Carymoor Environmental Trust, Dimmer Lane, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7NR or you can e-mail a digital photo to us at rf.swap@carymoor.org.uk

The twelve winning schools will also be asked to take part in the SWAP Celebration Event which will be held in July. You can find out more about last year’s event on the above website. The event is a great opportunity to publicise the excellent work on waste that is being done in Somerset schools and to share ideas. If you would like any more information then get in touch by e-mail or by phone on 01963 351350.

March 2005

SWAP gave away its 150th free composter to Hemington Primary school. This means over half of the schools in Somerset are now using a compost bin to recycle their organic waste. If your school is yet to take advantage of the offer then get in touch to find out more! Hemington Primary has just received its silver award from SWAP for their excellent work on waste. To find out more about the SWAP Pledge see below.

December 2004

Has your school won a SWAP award yet? You can see the full list of schools who have won either a bronze, silver or gold award by clicking here.

October 2004

First Golden Wilburs won by Somerset Schools!

Milborne Port Primary and Millfield Pre Prep School have become the first schools in Somerset to win the Golden Wilbur award. Both schools have completed all the challenges of the SWAP pledge. Each school is composting, buying recycled products, recycling printer cartridges and has a dedicated environment group looking to make further improvements.

Each of the schools has received the Golden Wilbur award, made from a recycled alarm clock and reused wooden base. If your school would like to Take the Pledge and go for our awards please get in touch!

September 2004

SWAP has celebrated the start of the new academic year by sending out its fantastic new academic calendar to all the schools in Somerset. If you have not yet received one or would like an additional copy please call 01963 351350 or by e-mail.

In addition to the calendar SWAP has developed a new primary schools pack, complete with new workshops and ideas. Let us know if you would like a copy.

Secondary schools have also been sent a new secondary schools' newsletter with case studies of various school projects from around Somerset.

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Swap 2005